1. Technical Field
This disclosure generally relates to lighting fixtures and particularly relates to marine lighting fixtures.
2. Description of the Related Art
Lighting systems are used in a wide variety of applications and environments. Some environments may be particularly harsh. For example, marine environments may expose a lighting system to corrosion from water, to high winds, and other operational stresses.
Marine lighting systems are used on both recreational and commercial vessels. Lighting requirements vary by service, application, and user, at times requiring a floodlight able to provide broad illumination of an area and at other times requiring the precision of a spotlight able to provide focused illumination at a specific location. Limited shipboard power can restrict the size and number of lighting fixtures that can be safely accommodated. Limited shipboard real estate places a premium on the size and utility of a marine light fixture, thus the ability to physically mount multiple lighting fixtures may not exist. Due to space constraints or operational requirements, marine lighting fixtures may be mounted in unusual configurations, at times on structures not originally intended for use as a lighting stand.
In addition to inherent shipboard physical and electrical limitations, marine light fixtures must also endure harsh operating conditions including extremes of heat, moisture, and vibration. Such operational demands increase the likelihood of failure of electronics within the light fixture. Rigorous service conditions, limited availability of shipboard space and/or resources, and wide variability in user requirements place challenging demands on marine light fixtures. Thus, a configurable marine light fixture having a flexible mounting system, and acceptable water-resistance and anti-fog characteristics is desirable.